After reaching the UEFA Champions League semifinals for the first time since 2009, Arsenal will face Paris Saint-Germain. After an impressive two-legged performance, Mikel Arteta's team won 2-1 at the Bernabeu to beat Real Madrid 5-1 on aggregate. Arteta spoke to TNT Sports after the match and was full of praise for midfielder Declan Rice, who was named player of the match.
Rice was involved in every flashpoint of the match, which included being penalised for an alleged foul on Kylian Mbappe, only for the resulting penalty to be overturned by the referee and VAR.
The England midfielder was named UEFA player of the match in both legs of the tie, and Arteta was delighted with how he performed.
"I think he was enormous tonight. I think he turned the game around," Arteta told TNT Sports.
"The moment the game was 50/50, he got the ball and he turned the game. I think he was immense today. The tie changed because of him. Reflecting on the achievement of knocking out the reigning champions in their own stadium, Arteta said: "[It’s] one of the best nights in my football career, for sure. A really special one.
"In this competition, the fact that we competed against the team with the longest history has served as an inspiration for all of us. To be able to win the tie, in the manner that we’ve done it, I think we have to be really proud of ourselves.
"With the exception of Bukayo's missed penalty, I believe that overall we did what he needed to do to win the game, which was fortunate for us. "We want more because we are really hungry. It’s a really young team that is very determined and all these experiences, including me for sure, is going to help us achieve something big."
Arsenal had a historic night at Santiago Bernabeu when they defeated Real Madrid 2-1 to earn a stunning 5-1 aggregate victory over the 15-time European champions and advance to the Champions League semifinals against Paris Saint-Germain. It was a dream evening for the Gunners, who never looked like surrendering the 3-0 lead they took into the second leg following their convincing win over Carlo Ancelotti's side in north London last week, although they did have to endure a nervy period in the first half after Bukayo Saka had seen an attempted Panenka penalty saved by Thibaut Courtois.
Madrid were awarded a penalty of their own soon after as Declan Rice was adjudged to have pulled down Kylian Mbappe, only for the decision to be reversed after a long VAR check.
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